I think it’s a regressive tax that hurts the poor, working poor, and middle class.

Some arguments I’ve heard for it are that it’s fair because it taxes those who use the roads equally regardless of income, but is that really true?

What about businesses like Walmart, Amazon, Apple and so many others and all the other businesses who are part of global supply chains? Wouldn’t they all would be dead without a safe, reliable, and ubiquitous infrastructure of seaports, airports, railways, and highways? Aren’t they reaping benefits – much greater benefits monetarily – from our infrastructure than the average American?

It seems that I actually find myself agreeing with the Kochs that the gas tax shouldn’t be raised; however, I suspect that we have different reasons for opposing it.

Which brings me back to the question of how do we fund the desperately needed repairs – and maybe even expansions – to our infrastructure?

I was thinking that a tax on corporations and a tariff on imports that use our infrastructure they so desperately need to sustain their business would be the more fair and equitable approach.

But, that seems impossible given that Republicans are in charge and doing just the opposite.

If I understand it correctly, their tax changes permanently reduce corporate taxes while only temporarily reducing taxes on average citizens. Business 1; Citizens 0

And that stalwart and defender American business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? Oh, yeah. They like the idea of a gas tax increase. Why wouldn’t they? They work for business – and don’t fool yourself, they work for BIG business, not the fabled “mom & pop”. To believe that what they do that’s good for business is always good for workers is to believe the lie of trickle-down economics.

Calling out bad Democrats and illiberal liberals is fine. Confusing imperfect allies with actual enemies is just mystifying and inexcusable.

Such has been and continues to be the case with some on the left.

Despite the stranglehold that Republicans have at every level of government, some on the left are doubling-down on the inexplicable idea that the way to reform the Democratic Party is not by joining it in order to move it to the left from the inside, but instead to remain outside of it and demanding purity and fealty first before they will grace the Party with their ideas, their efforts, and their votes.

That makes absolutely no sense to me.

For the record, I’m a life-long liberal. Until 2015, I was registered Non-Partisan. I registered as a Democrat that year solely for the purpose of voting for Sanders in the closed PA Democratic primary.

Let me be clear. I believe it’s fine – and necessary – to call out “bad” Democrats. I’ve been doing it for most of my life. There’s plenty of recent evidence in this blog site. Just search for words like ‘liberal’ and ‘Democrats’. You’ll see.

But to my fellow lefties who can’t seem to hate Democrats enough, let me say that for you to go on demanding from the outside that the Democratic Party change to your liking while also criticizing the idea that liberals and progressives should join the Party in order to actually change it from within is not only illogical, it puts you into a category of people who can’t seem to tell the difference between an imperfect friend and an actual enemy.

Democrats are not the enemy. No, they are not perfect. No one is, but they are the only major Party that represents progressive and liberal ideas and policies. No, not enough and not strongly enough for some, including me, but they do represent them.

When it comes to discerning friend from foe, don’t take my word or the word of someone on Facebook. Look up your favorite antagonist at GovTrack.us to see what bills they sponsor and support, how they vote, and where they are on the ideological spectrum.

Here’s the chart for recent Angry Buster target, Cory Booker.

That grey dot on the extreme left is you-know-who. That’s right, no one is left of Sanders.

That doesn’t make everyone else in blue an enemy.

So, I ask anyone who thinks they can change the Democratic Party from the outside these questions.

What if all the “calling out” actually did force out present-day bad Democrats, what then? Let’s say you get your wish. Who replaces them if not members of the Party?

And, seriously, do you expect all the rank-and-file members and all the leaders to simply throw up their hands, fall to their knees, and exclaim, “Hallelujah, you are right! We are evil and wrong and bad. We abdicate! The Party is yours! Thank you for saving us!”

It just makes no logical sense to go on believing that somehow the Democratic Party will change if only enough people outside of the Party screech long enough and loud enough about how terrible the Democrats are.

I’ll add this. It requires an ego that rivals Trump’s to think that all that screeching will eventually convince enough people to also join up in throwing away their votes in battleground states because that “sends a message” to Democrats to be more like them, or else.

I have bad news for those folks.

No political party cares what 1% of the total electorate thinks.

The Democrats aren’t trying to figure out how to win 100% of the 1% who voted for Stein. They’re trying to figure out how to win more of the overall electorate in districts and states where it matters.

So, here’s my advice to the Greens, liberals, and angry Busters who hate Democrats and the Democratic Party:
If you want the Democratic Party to change, become part of it; otherwise, you’re leaving the Party to those who are part of it, and they’re going to go on without you and your ideas.

Everyone knows that his “shit hole countries” remark was only the latest bit of evidence of that fact.

More than anyone else, those of you reading this who still support him need to understand that this latest demonstration of unacceptable and repugnant behavior, at the very least, paints you with that brush. He makes you and all of his remaining supporters look like racists, too.

That may anger you, and maybe that’s a good thing. A reasonable person who doesn’t consider themselves to be a racist probably should get angry when they are lumped in with or seen as being supportive of racists.

And, you can insist – and you’re welcome to do so below – that you’re not a racist. People who know you will likely agree that they hadn’t thought of you as a racist before, but here’s the thing.

As a Trump supporter, you are supporting a racist. You cannot escape that.

The only reasonable conclusion anyone can come to is that you are at least tolerant of racism and racists. The same, btw, goes for his misogyny and bigotry.

The ends never justify the means, so even if you believe that every one of his policies are the best for America, you are supporting the policies of a racist, bigoted, misogynist……. who, as all we all know, incorporates those hateful ideals into his policies, so, yes, they are hateful policies that you support.

As a Trump supporter, you cannot escape this realty and you cannot excuse it away as the unfiltered ravings of someone who isn’t a career politician who has the courage to tell it like it is. He’s “telling it” like a racist, bigoted, misogynist.

This is how you are thought of, too, by those of us who can’t understand how any thinking or caring person like you could still possibly be in support of Trump as a person, let alone as president.